1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed towards a holder assembly specifically designed to hold one or more stemmed articles such as but not limited to long stemmed glassware, in a preferred inverted orientation so as to be securely positionable on the interior of a conventional dishwasher without fear of breakage due to inadvertent detachment thereof from the subject holder assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years the inconvenience of doing dishes by hand has been alleviated by the commercial availability of modern-day dishwashing machines primarily designed to be installed in the average residence. Generally, such dishwashing machines include one or two dish supporting racks specifically designed to have removably mounted thereon various types of glass and dishware. The structural components of these dish supporting racks normally include wire rods covered with a soft protective material to prevent scratching and/or abrasion to the objects being held. These stringers or wire rods are arranged in a variety of cooperative configurations such that plates, glasses, flatware, pots, pans, etc. all may be loaded into the dishwasher and oriented for exposure to the cleansing jets of water and detergent dispersed by proper fluid delivery means.
While the increased popularity of such automatic dishwashers is evidence of their general acceptance by the consuming public, it is still universally recognized that certain objects, particularly glassware and dishes of fragile design and/or structure are best washed by hand in order to avoid breakage. Such breakage normally occurs because the structural components or portions of the wire rack used to support glasses and dishes during the cleansing operation, as set forth above, are not specifically designed to hold certain articles. For example, long stemmed glassware and like stemmed articles are frequently difficult and sometimes impossible to properly position on these conventional dish supporting racks in a manner which will minimize the possibility of breakage but yet still orient the stemmed articles in a position which will insure proper cleaning thereof during the washing cycle.
Numerous U.S. Patents exist disclosing various structures in the prior art which are specifically designed to hold selected articles for purposes of display, storage, etc. However, these holding devices or racks are not generally capable of maintaining delicate articles, such as long stemmed glassware, in a preferred cleaning position on the interior of a modern-day dishwasher during the cleaning or washing cycle.
The following U.S. Patents are representative of prior art structures specifically adapted to hold articles of various types and configurations: U.S. Pat. Nos. Reichelt, 746,878; Greenwood, 945,520; Baldwin, 1,467,082; Caldwell, 2,491,891; Planeta, 2,708,037; Webster, 2,801,609; Jungholm, 2,227,886; Marasigan, 2,629,498; Feser, 2,951,590; Monet, 3,870,154.In addition to the above, the patent to Neuschotz, U.S. Pat. No. 1,925,540 discloses a brace or rack specifically designed to hold long stemmed glasses or like stemmed articles but which is primarily intended to maintain such stemware in a stored position in order to provide additional counter space or tabletop space for other uses. Moreover, it is highly questionable if a structure of the type disclosed in the Neuschotz patent is capable of gripping the glassware securely enough to withstand the dynamic forces present in an operating dishwasher. None of the patents set forth above are directed to a structure intended to securely and removably position stemmed articles on a dish supporting rack of a modern-day dishwasher.